Friday Writings #166: Letters / Sounds

 

Hello, dear Word Weavers

Here’s a thought –

What if you were to start a piece of writing not with an idea but a sound? If you were to choose a particular letter of the alphabet and the sound it makes, and let the subject arise out of that? And then repeat that letter in that piece of writing, over and over? The first time such an idea was suggested to me, I chose the letter M, with its warm, soft ‘mmm’ sound. That led me to thoughts of my mother, and my childhood home, Tasmania. I called the resulting prose poem Remembrance. You can read it here. 

 

My island home — or part thereof.
(Photo taken in Tasmania by Patrick McGregor; available on Unsplash)

A hard, sharp sound might have caused my thoughts to go somewhere very different. What mood, or subject, would repetitions of L suggest?  Or P? Or J? Or hard G? Or S?  Etc. I notice all these are consonants. Where might the vowels take us? Click here for some ideas on that.

(Incidentally, I have now found out that these sounds are known as phonemes. In the teaching of reading, the linking of sounds and letters is called phonics.)

Would you like to give it  try?  If so –

Your optional prompt for this week is to choose one letter of the alphabet, let its sound suggest what to write about, and use that letter repeatedly in the resulting piece of writing.

Guidelines:
Poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not.
369 words maximum, excluding title and notes.
One post per person.
We encourage you to read other people’s submissions and leave (encouraging) comments.
You’re welcome to talk to us and each other in the comments here, too. 

 Next week Magaly will invite us to find inspiration in Self-Empathy.